After a 21-day-long standoff, the administration of Chaudhary Charan Singh Haryana Agricultural University (CCSHAU) and the agitating students reached an agreement on Tuesday night, just hours before the students planned to shut down the varsity Wednesday. Following a meeting with student representatives, BJP MLA and member of the government-appointed high-level committee, Randhir Panihar, announced that all student demands had been accepted. He confirmed that official orders had been issued for the implementation of several key demands. Among the major developments, Chief Security Officer Sukhbir Singh, accused of attacking protesting students on June 10, has been placed under suspension. Students had been demanding the resignation of Vice-Chancellor Dr B Kamboj, holding him responsible for the alleged assault. However, Panihar said any decision regarding the V-C and registrar would follow only after the findings of a government-constituted inquiry committee. The protest initially erupted over changes to stipend eligibility criteria for postgraduate and PhD students, which students feared would jeopardise their academic futures. The university has now agreed to retain the previous stipend system for the 2025–26 academic session. Tensions escalated after the June 10 incident, when students were allegedly assaulted by university officials and guards. In his police complaint, Dipanshu, a first-year BSc student who received nine stitches on his head, stated: “At 10.15 pm, as we sat near the V-C’s residence, his car arrived. Following his instructions, Registrar Pawan Kumar, Professor Radhe Shyam, Chief Security Officer Sukhbir Singh, and university guards attacked us with sticks”. The students had earlier warned of a university shutdown on July 2 if their demands were not met. The agitation gained momentum after the assault, drawing widespread support from farmer unions, opposition parties, and the public, especially after videos of the incident went viral. To resolve the crisis, the Haryana Government formed a four-member committee, which included three cabinet ministers and Panihar. The committee held multiple rounds of talks with the students before the breakthrough was achieved.
